U.S. Turns to Local Guns-for-Hire to Guard Afghan Outpost

The U.S. military is turning to guns-for-hire to guard one of its outposts in Afghanistan. But Blackwaters of the world, take note: simply hiring former G.I.s or American cops or even Nepalese Gurkhas won’t do the trick this time. At least half of the 50-man force has to come “from within a 50 kilometer radius” of the base, according to a contract solicitation issued by the U.S. Air Force.

Over the summer, the American military signaled its interest in hiring an army of contractors to help handle security at as many as 50 outposts in Afghanistan. It’s one of several efforts efforts designed to free up uniformed troops for combat and counterinsurgency work. Now, U.S. forces appear to be taking the first step towards building that country-wide private security force, by soliciting bids for a team that watch over Forward Operating Base Lightening, in Paktya province.

According to the Air Force, these guards will be encouraged to “employ appropriate forces necessary to neutralize any threat from unauthorized individuals illegally trying to enter the installation.” They’ll also “conduct surveillance and counter surveillance activities” to make sure intruders or attackers never get close. However, “under no conditions are contract security forces to be involved in offensive operations.” Nor will the guns-for-hire “commi[t] the U.S. Government to a course of action, such as deciding who or what to attack or search.”

Traditionally, the American military has relied on its own troops or “third country nationals” — contractors from Bangladesh or Nepal or Uganda — for such guard work. Locals were considered too hard to vet, and too easy to corrupt. But U.S. forces are trying something different to secure FOB Lightening; they’re going to use folks from the neighborhood to watch over the base. “The Contractor shall hire a minimum of 50% of its guard force from within a 50 kilometer radius of the location requiring security,” the solicitation reads.

The private security firm who wins the FOB Lightening contract will have to run background checks on their Afghan guards. And the company will be responsible for outfitting ‘em with body armor and rifles — and giving ‘em truck to get around in. The guns-for-hire, unlike some of the previous generation of private security contractors, will be accountable under the local law — “subject to Afghan jurisdiction for acts considered criminal” in Afghanistan. And they’ll be “potentially subject to prosecution” in the United States for any wrongdoing, under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act.

In Iraq, the U.S. military put tribesman and former insurgents and Iraqi soldiers on the payroll, turning them into local neighborhood watches, called “Sons of Iraq.” Similar efforts in Afghanistan are only just beginning. Perhaps this is one of them.